These are the twelve he appointed: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter),

• Mark 3:16

Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said,

• Acts 13:9

I got a germ of an idea for this quiz and it disappeared.  It had not formed into a concrete idea, but then two lovely ladies in the Sunday school class started talking and brought up Peter and Paul and their similarities.  My brain immediately went to Peter, Paul, and Mary, but I also thought of a pastor panel discussion on television where the theme of the program was whether we could be useful in God’s service.  One of the pastor’s closing remarks was that God used misfits and murderers.  Peter was a misfit.  He denied Christ, but Jesus set him apart as a foundation stone of the church.  Paul sought out to kill believers in Christ, but then after accepting Jesus himself, he wrote two-thirds of the New Testament.  Yes, regardless of how broken and indeed in our brokenness, we have a ministry that is suited for each of us.

But what of the similarities?  Even in their names, there are similarities between Peter and Paul.  Both Peter and Paul, whose names begin with “P”, were also known by names beginning with “S” as the Scriptures above illustrate.  They both wrote epistles to churches.  Even Paul’s epistles to individuals were used by churches for instruction.

Regardless of how important Peter and Paul are, the central characters of most of the book of Acts, we must remember that they did nothing on their own.  The power of God was within them, as that same power is within us.

This quiz is organized a little differently.  The “Questions” section is a list of sixteen events in table form.  There could be many more events added.  The “Bible Refences” section is a list in biblical order of the Bible references that apply to the listed events.  The “Answers” section then populates the “Questions” table with the Bible references in the right places.  Note that one Bible reference is used twice.

This is not an exhaustive list.  In some cases, the event happened multiple times, thus there could be as many as three Bible references for one cell of the table.  I noted some of the times these events occurred, but not in all cases.  And note:  The events are not in chronological order.

For your answers, you can simply check the boxes that apply for either Peter or Paul.  Some apply to both.  Or you can fill in the Bible references to support that these events pertain to either Peter, Paul, or both.  In at least one case, you need two Bible verses to fully identify the “event,” an event in two parts you might say.

The Questions:

Activity	Peter	Paul
Met Jesus face-to-face
Fell before Jesus
Raised someone from the dead
Went to prison
Made an escape with the aid of angels
Failed to escape prison, sang songs instead
Was whipped
Was stoned
Tended the coats of those stoning Stephen
Confronted two liars who died
Spoke to large crowds
Spoke before the Sanhedrin
Left their home to check on believers / churches
People were healed by having his shadow pass over.
Brought the Gospel message to the Gentiles
Had a problem with John Mark, but then needed him

Why did I put the last event in there?  Sure, my name is Mark, and the apostle rejecting Mark at one point has made me wonder why my mother chose the name. But the redemption in the end shows that all of us have made our mistakes over time.  We can not only be forgiven; we can be of great service, even to the one who we have disappointed.

Yes, indeed, as the pastor said on television, we can each be of service to the Lord, regardless of our past.  And our past may shape our ministry.

Bible References:

The following Bible references can be placed into the table above.

Luke 5:1-11, Luke 5:8

Acts 2:14, Acts 3:12, Acts 4:3, Acts 4:8-12, Acts 5:1-10, Acts 5:12-15, Acts 5:18, Acts 5:19-20, Acts 5:40, Acts 7:58, Acts 9:3-6, Acts 9:4, Acts 9:20, Acts 9:32, Acts 9:36-41, Acts 10:24-48, Acts 11:16-41, Acts 12:4, Acts 12:6-10, Acts 13:46-48, Acts 14:19, Acts 15:36-41 (2 places), Acts 16:22, Acts 16:24, Acts 16:25-34, Acts 20:7-12, Acts 22:30

2 Timothy 4:11

And another reminder may be necessary.  Peter and Paul both had their problems and Jesus personally called them to service.  They are considered giants in the first century church, but their great works are really Jesus working through them.

That power is available for each of us.  It is not for us to demand one ability or another, but with Jesus in our hearts and the Holy Spirit to guide us, we have potential.  We simply must do as Isaiah did, say “Here I am, Lord.  Send me.”

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The Answers:

Activity	Peter	Paul
Met Jesus face-to-face	Luke 5:1-11	Acts 9:3-6
Fell before Jesus	Luke 5:8	Acts 9:4
Raised someone from the dead	Acts 9:36-41	Acts 20:7-12
Went to prison	Acts 4:3, Acts 5:18, Acts 12:4	Acts 16:24
Made an escape with the aid of angels	Acts 5:19-20, Acts 12:6-10
Failed to escape prison, sang songs instead		Acts 16:25-34
Was whipped	Acts 5:40	Acts 16:22
Was stoned		Acts 14:19
Tended the coats of those stoning Stephen		Acts 7:58
Confronted two liars who died	Acts 5:1-10
Spoke to large crowds	Acts 2:14, Acts 3:12	Acts 9:20, Acts 11:16-41
Spoke before the Sanhedrin	Acts 4:8-12	Acts 22:30
Left their home to check on believers / churches	Acts 9:32	Acts 15:36-41
People were healed by having his shadow pass over.	Acts 5:12-15
Brought the Gospel message to the Gentiles	Acts 10:24-48	Acts 13:46-48
Had a problem with John Mark, but then needed him		Acts 15:36-41, 2 Timothy 4:11

I feel so bad about leaving out Mary.  Of the three, Mary Travers (1936 – 2009) is the only one to have passed away. I suppose from the title, you knew this was coming.  All videos are from their 25^th Anniversary concert.  This first video gives a statement before singing the song, with Peter singing the statement.  The critics are just that, critics.  Puff, the Magic Dragon was not a marijuana smoking song.  It was simply a song about lost innocence.

Listening to this one, in the days of the Vietnam War, and thinking that was where I would go upon graduation, I often wondered where the flowers might be going.

And what of the answers to life’s questions?

Do you have a hammer?

When I drove back and forth, commuting from home during my college years, I often listened to Peter, Paul, and Mary.  I was conservative in my Christian beliefs.  I was conservative in my political beliefs.  I am an Eagle Scout and during those years I was working toward being a commissioned Army officer, but I often lifted some of the songs from this trio up as prayers as I drove the 38 miles from my childhood home to the university and back again after a hard day of classes and laboratory experiments.  While I might not agree with the methods to accomplish change or the inevitable extra baggage that goes along with such movements, it does not mean that I disagree with the message.

If you like these Saturday morning Bible quizzes, but you think you missed a few, you can use this LINK. I have set up a page off the home page for links to these Saturday morning posts. I will continue to modify the page as I add more.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.